Flushing Meadows? No, non-flushing zones

We're flying on a wing and a prayer (literally, for those zip-lined and airlifted) and by the seat of our pants (literally, for those in the novelty "no-flush zones").

I went to the Mountain View Bible Fellowship Church today to see the Red Cross, but that's a no-flush zone and the evacuees were moved to the Conference Center. Eight Estes Park Red Cross staffers are welcoming evacuees there. About 20 residents were zip-lined out of Glen Haven Sunday night; and checked in here; the numbers change daily. A resident dropped off bags full of food there today, saying he was going to take them to Crossroads, but Crossroads was closed today. Anyone wishing to donate money to the Red Cross can pick up envelopes at the Red Cross station at the Conference Center and mail them in. Word is the post office may reopen soon (perhaps Wednesday), along with Elkhorn. That will make the thrift shops available again for all.

That is quite the challenge, when dealing from everything from foundations to insurance to lifetimes. One resident reported calling his insurance company, just to check on whether his car would be covered "if" and the agent said, "You're calling from Colorado, right?"

There are some things you'd rather not have a reputation for in this life.

As he watched the river rising three to four feet, the sensation was one of "Oh my god," but he was one of the luckier ones.

"Stay dry" have become the operative watchwords.

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In the Upper Stanley Village parking lot, a woman talked to her dog in the car. They were evacuees from East Riverside and she did not know if they were being allowed back in to stay or not. She was chomping at the bit to get going on all the work that must be done. She and her husband were staying at the Rocky Mountain Inn; the dog at the Pet Lodge and the cat at the water treatment plant, where her husband works. The cat had returned home today and was happily sitting on its perch tree. The dog remained concerned.

An employee at Estes Park Pet Supply reported that a resident of Glen Haven who works in Estes Park had to leave his dog kenneled in the Glen Haven area for at least 24 hours and he was not sure of the outcome. The employee said he would've walked in water up to his neck to rescue his own dog. It was very heartening to see evacuees from Boulder returning, coming out the helicopter doors with their pets leading them. So much better than Hurricane Katrina, when the little boy was not allowed on the bus with his poodle. No compounding tragedies here.

This "freakish" nice weather today has brought many people out to walk their dogs here. What a relief to see formerly orange-coned places unconed! A representative of the tourism industry here reports that people still want to come here and are making advance reservations for next year. She hopes the entire tourism economy will get going again by next week.

One resident said she had just come from the visitor call center and she was getting some "interesting" calls. When the "no-flush zone" question came up, she said that probability couldn't even be discussed at her home and they aren't sure what they will do.

It's times like these we find out what we're made of and what it all boils down to — boiling water and elimination. That's what's being human is all about, among other things, including giving back to the community — not with any communicable diseases. Stay dry.